Superman
by DenizenofTwilight
Summary: "And as you so greatly pointed out in the hospital, you are Lois Lane, and I much enjoy at least pretending to be Superman." For the one thousand words or less Defining Twilight Essay Contest. Post-Twilight. Pre-New Moon.


**Superman **

I twirled my pencil in between my fingers once again. Hand-eye coordination had _never_ been something that fate had thought to gift me with, but I could manage _this_ without injuring anyone.

Mr. Banner was lecturing today, and I _couldn't_ pay attention. Even when the year was almost over, the things we were covering were things I'd learned in Phoenix. Being smarter than the class _wasn't_ fun. It would definitely be one (and in my opinion the only) downside if I ever got my way, and Edward made me a vampire.

I quickly shot a glance at him. The smile he gave me was dazzling, and my heartbeat became erratic in response. The worst part was that I knew he could _hear_ it.

Feeling my cheeks grow red, I thought it best to find something else with which to occupy my time.

Tyler Crowley was that something. The prom miscommunication still eluded me. Since prom he hadn't spoken a _word_ to me. It'd stung at first, but it was probably his way of letting go. At this realization Tyler all of a sudden seemed noble – he'd allowed me Edward graciously. I knew that in earlier times such behavior would have been considered admirable, to allow the "damsel in distress" her happiness.

I briefly thought about asking Edward if I was right, but seeing the daggers he was glaring at Tyler, I thought it best to forget it. There were bigger things to deal with, like me convincing Edward to turn me. Suddenly the Tyler thing seemed really inconsequential.

***

The lecturing on the last few days of school was really getting tedious. All of our teachers were determined to fill us in on last minute details before finals; classes were really starting to carry a sense of déjà vu.

Lunch couldn't have come sooner. It was one of the few class periods that I had with Edward, so I valued it immensely. I knew he valued our lunch as well, so it surprised me when he wasn't waiting outside my classroom to accompany me to lunch.

I really was starting to become worried when he wasn't in the lunchroom. I sat at our usual table regardless. He'd driven me to school, so he should have been there. All of the Cullens were accounted for, _except_ for him.

It all became a moot point, however, when I noticed Edward in the cafeteria entrance. Before I could blink he had sauntered over to me. He smiled his crooked smile and soon it was all I could think about.

"Sorry I'm late; I had to exchange a few words with Tyler Crowley." He made a face at the name, and I was instantly confused. I was aware of his detest for Mike, but he'd never really shown any ill feelings towards _Tyler_. Maybe the situation wasn't as inconsequential as I'd thought it to be.

"Why?"

"He's starting to irritate me. Ever since _prom_, Tyler's been trying to come up with a way to convince you to break up with me and choose him."

"Edward, you must be mistaken. Tyler hasn't talked to me at all since we went to prom. Why would he be thinking _that_?"

"You _really_ don't see yourself clearly. He's been planning; _that's_ why he hasn't had time to approach you. But believe me, he _is_ striving to make his presence in your life one of permanence."

"I don't believe you."

Edward chuckled without humor before speaking, "Of course you don't, you silly, beautiful girl." He lightly touched my nose at that. "But believe me, _I_ do know." All too soon he removed his finger from my nose, and I immediately missed his touch.

"How about you and I both have Tyler exiled from our thoughts for now? This is getting us nowhere; let's talk about something else."

Once again he smiled his crooked smile and my heart tried to jump out of my chest just as soon as he did. "Fair enough. I _do_ very much like being the only guy in that pretty head of yours. So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me what someone's thinking."

His eyes were suddenly downcast, and he laughed bitterly. "Sophomore D.J. Garrett is letting his imagination get out of hand. Apparently I'm starting to remind him of the omnipresent god."

I stared waiting for clarification. "He saw me by the cafeteria door and then he saw me over here and is wondering how I could be in two places at once."

"Did he see you 'super speed'?" Edward smiled at my choice of words, most likely remembering when I first thought he was a superhero. I shook my head to concentrate. "What do your siblings think?"

"Unfortunately, they've become used to my unorthodox behavior." He sighed.

"Do they consider _me_ part of the bad behavior?" I asked him sheepishly.

"I couldn't care less. And as you so greatly pointed out in the hospital," he cringed at the word, "You _are_ Lois Lane, and I much enjoy at least pretending to be Superman."

With that, he grabbed my hand and led me outside. He leaned over so I could climb atop his back and at the moment I couldn't even care that we were ditching class.

I couldn't make out much of the scenery as he ran, but I knew we were heading to our meadow.

I _was_ Lois Lane, and though I wished I could be a superhero with him, for now I was content to just "fly" in his arms. So I did something I'd never done before. I kept my eyes wide open, and held onto my Superman. I was thankful I could be this marvelous person's Lois. Because with Edward, what he gave was really all I needed.

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**Author's Note: **Wow this is the shortest thing I've written in a long time. LOL. I had to cut a few things to meet the fewer than one thousand words limit, but I'm pleased with the end result. If you like the end result as well, please review. And check out my other stories if you feel so inclined. May the light guide you all.


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